#06 REALISATION

Hi all. Since we “graduated” from ICTE or UQ, I haven’t met most of you guys… how have you been these days? Hope everyone enjoys your internship.

This time I’d like to talk about what I realized in Australia. Before I came here, I thought being Australia directly meant improving English and having lots of native friends. But it’s absolutely not. I found it’s really difficult for ICTE students, at least for me to make UQ friends, because simply we don’t really have opportunities to meet, and it’s difficult to hang around with them because of my broken English. I think myself I’m too modest? But seriously I used to be too nervous to speak English with UQ students, so I didn’t even try. But I rethought – hang on, I’m hanging around with only Japanese friends, what am I doing in Australia all the way from Japan?? Since then I was reborn aha To immerse myself in English, I started joining the dance club (that’s what I mentioned before). Eventually I made heaps of friends from UQ, who don’t want to let me go. Little did I imagine that I could have such lovely mates, but yeah that’s what I’ve wanted. I want to be proud of me for taking the action. If I didn’t, my life in Aus won’t be the same, that must be super boring. So yeah what I wanna say is the person who changes my life is always me myself and I^^

Well, my life in Australia is almost done *phew* Thank you for having fun with me! We wish a merry Christmas and a happy new year~ hehe Cheers.

#05 CULTURES

Hi there! Everywhere we see jacarandas, don’t we?  They let us know it is spring here in Brisbane – actually it is already hot though. haha

Since I came to Brisbane, it has been seven months… yes, time flies. This time I would like to write on a culture-related topic! When did you find a big cultural difference? Hmm… well, I had a lot of opportunities.

When I started taking buses to commute, I found that almost all passengers show their appreciation by saying “thank you”, “thanks man” or “cheers”.  When I was commuting by train in Japan, it never happened (it is because we cannot talk to train operators directly, I think). But I am sure this is a good Aussie habit, because no one on the bus feels uncomfortable.

When I went to a Chinese restaurant, I was going to have fried rice as usual, but my Chinese friends ordered anything they wanted me to try, including mysterious things (sorry, but to be honest, they were!) Now I think I never know they are delicious if they did not do that. Why did they do that? Because sharing allows everyone to try everything, and at the same time, we can share happiness – this is Chinese culture I learned from them. Come to think of it, fancy Chinese restaurants have rotary tables to share…

Those experiences make me think about Japanese cultures. I don’t know, well, nobody knows what is right or wrong, but I think I found some customs we should steel. haha

#04 WHAT I DID

Hi everyone! I have to write 3 blogs in a row, so busy… I know it is because I skipped them though haha. Anyway, I will keep posting from now on…!

What is the best thing you did in Australia? If I am asked this question, I am ready to answer – dancing! Does it sound unclear? Ok, today I will write about this, but dancing is not only about dancing.

UQ has various kinds of club activities, and Street Groove, the dance club I am joining is one of them. Actually I have been a member since last semester, but I didn’t really enjoy it because I was too nervous to talk in English to UQ students, and stayed with my Japanese friends. For these reasons, I was thinking about quitting, but somehow I thought that I could change myself. At the beginning of this semester (end of July), there was an audition to be a crew (a member who can perform). I knew I was not good at dancing, but I gave it a try. I was so nervous to dance in front of others. I am sure it was the moment I was more nervous than ever in Australia. Well, little did I dream that I was taken into the crew, but I made it! Since then, I gradually made crew friends. At first, I was still nervous about speaking English, but they understand that I am studying English at the language school. So I didn’t feel lonely – I felt hospitable. Now, through spending three months together, I feel like they are a family. I really don’t want to leave, and they say they don’t want to let me go. It is so sad, but I am proud of making such close UQ and native friends. Do you understand why I said this is not only about dancing? I think I can dance better than before though! haha

#03 STUDYING

Hi, everyone. It has been ages since I posted last time… I apologise that I totally forgot to update. From now on, I would like to be active, so could you leave a comment for me please? Haha

Anyway! More than seven months have passed since I started studying English in ICTE… time flies. So this time, I would like to write about my studies at ICTE. 

To meet students’ need, ICTE has various courses for us – General English (GE), English for Academic Purpose (EAP) and English for International Business Communication (EIBC). I have studied in all of these classes, so I think I know the differences well if I am correct. Going back to the end of March, studying in GE was the first session for me. As it was the first time, I remember everything was new, every day was busy, everywhere was mysterious but everyone was kind. I admit I managed to settle down rather than to learn English. However, since I started studying in EAP, things have changed. Because all the students from Kansai University were preparing for the IELTS test, I reckon we were obsessed with the IELTS, IELTS and IELTS… I really realised that IT IS HARD TO LEARN ENGLISH! Well, I could not pass the exam, which means I could not have the opportunity to study at UQ, but I never think I am poor – now I am proud of staying at ICTE. In EAP2, I completed the hardest assignment ever – writing 750 words with eight references. And now in EIBC, I am studying how to write a proposal, a dissatisfied email and more. For those reasons, Can I say I did study well in ICTE? haha

#02 DIFFERENCE

Hi mates, this is Aoi. Long time no see. Thank you for visiting my blog. Today I'm going to talk about the most interesting and surprising differences I have experienced between Australia and Japan. Here we go.

 

Have you ever been surprised to find the difference of the size, in terms of that of food, accommodation and individuals? Firstly, almost every time I dine at a restaurant in Australia, they serve a bigger meal, so sometimes it is hard to eat up. Moreover, my host mother who is really fond of cooking caters dinner, saying “if you want more, please help yourself.” But sorry it is ENOUGH. Just they might be so generous though. Secondly, almost all houses in Australia are much bigger than those in Japan. I am living in my host family’s house, what we call “homestay,” which has more than 10 rooms and 3 bath rooms! When my host father organized “Passover,” a Jewish annual celebration, approximately 50 people gathered and had special dinner there. Even my given room is larger than mine in Japan. Thirdly, I have seen big individuals… I mean, they are big in length, in side or both! When I met a girl who was taller than me, she said she was still 14 years old, which stunned me. Also, there are Australian, including my host family, who are twice as heavy as Japanese students, I guess. While it is little difficult for me to find suitable clothes here, I can wear kid-size sweaters thanks to my length (153cm) haha

 

 Thank you for reading so far. Bye-bye.

#01 NOOSA

Hi there, it's me Aoi~~ :) Nice to meet you and thank you for visiting my blog. Are you ready to read? Here we go.

Guess what I did during this long long vacation. The answer is going to NOOSA~~ Yes with my friends from KU, I went there for the first time. It took about four hours to go, but I didn’t care because it was the best beach ever – took my breath away! The word I could say was AMAZING itself. I definitely recommend you to go there. Fine sands, completely clear water and burning sun… can we go to such a lovely beach in Japan? Never. We swam, swam and swam (of course between red and yellow flags.) Even though I was about to drown, I can’t stop swimming. Moreover, I tried bodyboarding. I was worried because of being a beginner, but it was easier than I had expected. Soon I found that if I started swimming before waves came, then waves took me ashore. The thrilling speed made me addicted to bodyboarding. I want to do it again or I want to try surfing someday. However, I know now winter is coming here in Australia. I wish summer was still with us. 

Guys, what did you do during this holidays? I hope you had a fantastic time like me. If you please, feel free to comment on this article. Thank you for reading so far. My journey in AUS has just started… See you soon!

08/05/2016